Tuesday, February 17, 2009

the apple vs. the tree: a comparative study

the following is a transcript of a conversation i had with my mom during a game of scrabble today:

mom: you can't put down "jenny". that's not a word.
me: yeah it is! "spinning jenny"?
mom: what the hell is a spinning jenny?
me: it's a farming tool invented by jethro tull* during the agricultural revolution.
mom: isn't he the guy who plays the flute??
me: no. you're thinking of the band jethro tull because they have a flute player.
mom: but wait...i thought...whoa.

my mom is awesome. :)

*i've just been informed that the spinning jenny was invented by james hargreaves circa 1764. jethro tull, though also a british agriculturist during the revolution, died 23 years before this happened. he invented the seed drill. so i was close, but no ciggy. thanks for setting me straight, wikipedia.

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